Intergalactic conquest with an AI

"Well...," she hesitated, thinking it over. "I was supposed to use the local insects, the ones you guys wiped out, to start terraforming the place for the Khryssari. Once the process started, my mom was going to send a fleet to protect it."

She paused again, as if trying to remember something important. "Oh, right! The fleet should already be there by now. Is there a way to check?"

"I think so, yeah," Rex nodded. "Cleo, can you look it up online?"

Cleo wasn’t too eager to help, especially since the Khryssari were responsible for the massacre of her people, but since Rex asked her, she didn’t have much choice.

"Understood. Searching now," Cleo said with a slightly robotic tone, hundreds of screens flashing into existence around her. She scanned them with impressive speed until she finally stopped on one and dismissed the others.

"I found something; there’s news about the planet Hanarix on the Intergalactic News Channel." Cleo enlarged the screen for everyone to see.

<<Yesterday, around the 6th imperial hour, a fleet of Hive Mind ships was detected near the newly discovered planet Hanarix. The local defense fleet attempted to intercept them but failed. Now, we have exclusive footage from our satellites showing the battle.>>

The video showed the local fleet, stationary just a few kilometers from Hanarix, when suddenly several wormholes of various sizes opened nearby from where Hive Mind ships surged out, ramming into the defense fleet. Some ships were torn in half on impact, while others were severely damaged.

After the initial collision, the Khryssari ships that followed unleashed plasma turrets and laser beams, ripping through the remaining defense ships in a matter of minutes.

But the worst part came next: a massive wormhole appeared above the planet. From it emerged an enormous, spherical ship with protruding spines, like some kind of starfish.

<<This is all we captured before the satellite was destroyed. The Megacorporation has responded by mobilizing their own forces. Just three imperial hours ago, a large fleet from one of their military worlds departed, likely headed for the Hanarix planet.>>

The screen shifted to show countless warships from the megacorps entering wormholes, vanishing seconds later. It was clear that a major battle was brewing near the planet where Rex and the others were.

When the screen closed, Rex, still focused on the unfolding situation, spoke up. "Cleo, how likely is it that the megacorps will use this planet as their frontline base?"

Cleo responded almost immediately, "The probability is 100%. There’s no better planet for a front-line assault base than a commercial one. They’ll have all the food, ammo, and other supplies they need right at their fingertips."

Rex nodded, deep in thought, then turned to the small girl hugging his arm. "Hmm, so we were thinking the same. By the way, do you have a name, little green butterfly?" he asked, looking down at her.

The girl lifted her head, her bright eyes locking onto Rex’s. "Mmm, my mom named me Y’Ssera," she replied, a big smile spreading across her face.

"Y’Ssera, huh? That’s a bit of mouthful... Can I just call you Ys?" Rex said, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly.

She thought about it for a second, then grinned. "Mmm, I don’t mind, but only if you’re the one who calls me that! No one else is allowed to change my royal name!" she added with a pout.

Rex couldn’t help but chuckle at the sight of her pouting. She looked so cute that he instinctively reached out to ruffle her hair, and by the look on her face, she didn’t mind it one bit. "By the way, Cleo, where’s Carlos?"

"Carlos is in the underground city," Cleo answered matter-of-factly. "The smugglers built a medical bay down there. I sent four medical drones to take care of him, and he’s recovering now."

Rex blinked, something Ys had told him earlier suddenly clicking in his mind. "Wait, so… is he okay? Nothing… nothing’s seriously wrong with him, right?" There was an edge of hesitation in his voice, like he wasn’t sure he wanted to hear the answer.

Cleo paused for a moment before replying. "When he arrived, he was nearly dead. He lost both arms, but the wounds were cauterized, so he didn’t bleed out."

"Oh! That was me!" Ys piped up, a proud grin on her face. "I told some of the bugs to spit acid on the wounds! My mom said it’s the best way to stop the bleeding."

Rex’s eyes widened. "You... you did that?" He shook his head, barely able to believe what he was hearing. "I’ve got to go see him. I’ll be back later!" Without waiting for a response, he jumped down from the second floor, sprinting out of the ship toward the underground city.

As Rex made his way down the large dirt ramp leading to the city’s entrance, he couldn’t help but stop for a moment, taking in the sight before him. What used to be an excavation site had turned into a bustling underground slum. There were hundreds of people milling about, and he was surprised to see that bars and nightclubs had already popped up in the area.

He made a mental note to check them out later.

But as he walked through the crowd, he could feel eyes on him. At 2.5 meters tall, Rex stood out like a sore thumb, and he could sense some of the smugglers watching him with malicious intent. He was already preparing to summon his sword when he heard a familiar voice call out from behind him.

"Rex? Is that you? What the hell have you been eating to grow that big in just a few days?"

Rex turned around, his HUD lighting up with information on the group approaching him. Cleo must’ve updated the system because the label next to the man’s name read, "Holyggan, a drunkard from the night when Rex partied." Rex immediately remembered who they were, his old drinking buddies from a few nights ago.

"Oh, it’s you guys!" Rex laughed, momentarily lowering his guard. "I’m in a bit of a hurry right now. I’m looking for the medical bay where my buddy’s recovering. You guys know where it is?"

"Yeah, we know the place. Follow us," the leader of the group nodded. "Your buddy... that human who was with you at the party, right?"

"Yeah, that’s him."

"Hmm, what happened to him? We haven’t seen you guys in days."

Rex’s expression darkened a bit. "Well, let’s just say we got handed a mission we weren’t ready for, and it went south fast. We got wiped out."

"Oh, so you guys were mercenaries? I thought you were smugglers," one of the men said with a raised eyebrow.

Rex chuckled. "Hah! No way. We’re way too loud to be smugglers. Being a merc’s a better fit for us."

They all laughed as they continued walking, chatting back and forth until they reached the medical bay.

"Well, here it is, Rex," one of the smugglers said, gesturing toward the entrance. "Don’t forget to stop by the nightclub sometime. We’re VIPs there; we’ll cover the first round!"

Rex grinned. "You got yourself a deal! Thanks for showing me the way. See you guys around!"

The smugglers waved him off and disappeared into the crowd, heading off to their next adventure. Rex turned and stepped into the medical bay. The room was busy, with medical drones buzzing around, attending to all kinds of patients. Some people gave Rex a nervous glance since his towering presence made him hard to miss, but he ignored the stares and started scanning the room for Carlos.

After a moment, one of the drones noticed him and signaled for him to follow. It led Rex down a quiet hallway, eventually bringing him to a small private room.

Rex stepped inside and immediately saw Emilia, fast asleep in a chair beside Carlos’s healing tank. The door creaked as it closed, causing her to stir. She blinked groggily and reached for a handgun on her lap, probably something Cleo had given her.

"Relax, Emilia, it’s just me," Rex said softly. "What are you doing here?"

She rubbed her eyes, still waking up. "Lady Cleo told me to keep an eye on Carlos... you know, just in case," she muttered, trying to sound more awake than she was.

"Mmm, okay," Rex nodded. "Just don’t do anything too risky, alright?"

Rex walked over to the healing tank, where Carlos lay, barely conscious, thanks to the heavy sedatives. He was surrounded by the greenish glow of the tank’s liquid, his body healing at an accelerated rate. "Hey, baldy," Rex smirked, "you’re looking even balder than usual."

Carlos, his voice weak but filled with humor, replied, "Oh, fuck off, Rex. I’m just glad you’re still breathing."

"Yeah, well... thanks to a little help, both of us made it. Well, most of me and half of you," Rex teased, smirking.

Carlos let out a pained laugh. "Haha—auugh! Don’t make me laugh, you asshole! It hurts like hell."

"Aww, the big, tough guy’s afraid of a little pain? You want Emilia here to give you a lollipop, huh?" Rex teased, glancing at Emilia with a grin.

"Shut up..." Carlos groaned, rolling his eyes. "By the way... who’s that behind you?"

"Huh?" Rex turned around, confused. "What are you talking about? I came alone." But when he turned, his eyes widened slightly since someone was there.